This volume contains four novellas by Samuel Beckett: "The End", "The Expelled", "The Calmative" and "First Love". In 1977 they were first published by Penguin Books as Four Novellas. Then, in from 1980, Penguin Books published these four novellas as The Expelled, and Other Novellas. This edition, which came out in 2000 with a new introduction, written by Gerry Dukes now bears the title First love, and Other Novellas, but they are still the same, short, four novellas.

Around 2010, Penguin Books also published a series of Penguin Mini. In that volume three novellas were published unde the title The expelled, the same novellas, only "The Calmative was left out". Besides, the mini-series came without introduction and notes.

I bought the mini edition in October 2012, and read it in 2017, unaware that I had already bought the Penguin Modern Classics edition, i.e. this edition, First love, and other novellas, in November 2011. I didn't like the three novellas when I read them in 2017, but decided to reread all of them while reading this edition.

However, I still do not like these novellas. For all the awe expressed in the introduction and the admiration others have for Beckett, I fail to appreciate these stories. I cannot grasp really what they are about or why they are special. ( )